Now the selfie craze spreads to drivers... at the wheel: One in 14 admits taking picture of themselves while on the road

• 'Selfie' fans between 18 and 24 are 'worst culprits'
• Craze has been called selfish and dangerous by road safety campaigners

Motorists are putting lives at risk - including their own - as the craze for taking ‘selfies’ takes to the road, a survey reveals today.
Up to one in nine (11 per cent) admit snapping themselves at the wheel while driving despite warnings on the danger of using mobile phones.
It says that ‘selfie’ fans aged between 18 and 24 are the ‘worst culprits’.
Some 11 per cent confess to doing so compared to one in 14 (7 percent) on average across all age ranges.
They are also more than twice as likely to connect to social media sites at the wheel.

Up to one in nine drivers admit snapping themselves at the wheel while driving despite warnings on the danger of using mobile phones.

Nearly one in ten (9 per cent) say they have logged in to photo messaging app Snapchat compared to one in 25 (4 per cent) of all drivers, according to the survey of 2,000 drivers commissioned by price comparison site Confused.com
It also found that Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram are also much more widely used by 18 to 24-year-old drivers.
But the ‘selfie’ driving practice was condemned as recklessly risky and selfish by leading road safety charities Brake and IAM.

The self-portrait snaps have become so popular with that ‘selfie’ was named as the 2013 word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries.
It is defined as ‘a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.’
Brake spokeswoman Laura Woods said: ‘This is a case of selfie selfishness.
‘Using a phone in any way at the wheel dramatically increases the risk of crashing and killing or seriously injuring someone.

But the 'selfie' driving practice was condemned as recklessly risky and selfish by leading road safety charities Brake and IAM.

 

‘It is very worrying to see the numbers of drivers engaging in this dangerous behaviour, particularly younger drivers who are already at higher risk of crashing due to their age and inexperience.’
A ‘selfie’ showing A-list stars including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt became the most retweeted photo ever earlier this month after being shared by Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres.
Confused.com said hashtags including #drivingselfie and #drivingselfies 'are prompting social media users to take photos of themselves and post them online when behind the wheel'.

In America, an NBC investigation found more than three million pictures filed under hashtags including #drivingselfie, #drivingtowork and #ihopeidontcrash.
Previous UK research suggests that a third of drivers use hand-held mobile phones at the wheel despite an increase in fines from £60 to £100 in August last year.
One in eight culprits log onto social networks and a fifth use apps. Half check text messages whilst driving and a third scan emails.

Brake said penalties should be tougher and the IAM called for a police clampdown.
Neil Greig, IAM’s director of policy and research said: 'This seems to be another form of peer pressure to take part in the latest trend.
‘The best way to avoid it is to give young people the skills to stand up for themselves and not follow the herd and post silly photographs online.
‘The IAM want to see more traffic police out there catching bad drivers but this survey would seem to suggest not even that will stop those addicted to using their smartphones.’

Confused.com head of car insurance Gemma Stanbury said it was the duty of drivers to behave responsibly: ‘Taking your eye off the road, just for a second, to read an alert or take a photo can have potentially fatal results,’ she said.
‘We’re aware that social media and photo sharing sites do not actively encourage users to take photos or post updates when driving, so the responsibility sits with the individual not to do so when behind the wheel,’ she said.

Teenager, 17, given speeding ticket while on driving lesson - for going 36mph in 30mph zone

• Stacie Ralphes, 17, had just 12 hours of driver training when she got ticket
• She was traveling in a dual-controlled AA vehicle at the time of the incident
• The student says she was stunned to be solely responsible for the speeding
• She must now attend £110 'awareness course' or face three penalty points

A teenager has been given a speeding ticket for driving 36mph in a 30mph while on a driving lesson.
Stacie Ralphes, 17, had just 12 hours of training to her name when the AA car in which she was learning to drive was caught speeding by a camera in Weymouth, Dorset.
To avoid receiving three penalty points on a licence she is yet to acquire, the student has chosen to attend a speed awareness course, but claims the whole experience has completely shattered her confidence behind the wheel.

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Surprise: Stacie Ralphes, 17, had just 12 hours of training to her name when the dual-controlled AA car in which she was learning to drive was caught speeding

Ms Ralphes, a health and social care student at Brooklands College, was stunned to find she was liable for the incident despite being under tuition at the time.
She was given the choice of taking three penalty points or attending a driver awareness course after a speeding ticket from Dorset Police was redirected to her home address via the AA.

 

Ms Ralphes has decided not to appeal against the penalty and will be attending the £110 driver awareness course instead of taking the penalty points and paying a fine.
The AA has offered to pay the £110 fee for the course out of good will.
She said: 'I was shocked to find that the notification was in my name...I thought the driving instructor would have made sure that speeding didn't happen as that's what they are there for.'
'I understand that I was partially responsible but I felt as a learner driver who has just started, I've been learning to deal with everything else involved in driving,' she added.
'I've lost my confidence when driving through this. It has been a big setback,' she went on to say.

The law states that the driver of any vehicle is liable for breaching traffic laws, even if they are a learner.

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Capture: Ms Ralphes was given the choice of taking three penalty points or attending a driver awareness course after a speeding ticket from Dorset Police was redirected to her home address via the AA (file image)

Decision: Stacie Ralphes has decided not to appeal against the penalty and will be attending the £110 driver awareness course instead of taking the penalty points and paying a fine

Stacie has opted to attend a driver awareness course which costs 110 pounds, although the AA Driving School has since agreed to pay for it out of good will.
Ms Ralphes' mother Beverley, 38, said: 'I think when you are paying so much money for driving lessons people should know that something like this could happen.'
'I find it incredible that after 12 hours of driving my daughter could be solely responsible for something like this,' she added.

Ms Ralphes has now left the AA Driving School and has resumed her lessons with a different instructor.
A spokesman for the AA confirmed they have offered to pay for Ms Ralphes' driver awareness course as a 'gesture of goodwill'.

He added: 'We are sorry that this incident has happened while Stacie was under our instruction and appreciate that this has caused distress for her and her family.'
'However, the law is clear that if a motoring offence is committed then the driver is liable for any penalty, such as points on their licence or attending an awareness course, even if they are a learner. It is illegal for anyone other than the driver to take the penalty,' he said.
We are still working with the family to resolve their complaint and would be happy to give them a cheque for the cost to attend the course,' the spokesman went on to say.